The Light In You—Mercury Rev’s 10th full-length and first in seven years—picks up where 2008’s Snowflake Midnight left off, with stalwart founders Jonathan Donahue and Grasshopper drawing inspiration from nature and the Rubik’s Cube of love in equal measure. There is a strong autumnal vibe about the affair—a modern Days Of Future Passed, complete with sweeping orchestral touches and wistful remembrances by the fistful. When the band’s “psychedelic rock and blue-eyed soul” finds its groove, it’s still a breathless wonder to behold. Mercury Rev will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read out MAGNET Classics feature on the band’s Yerself Is Steam.
Anthony Molina: For as long as I can remember, I identified with Basquiat. He was born in New York City to a Haitian father and Puerto Rican mother and I could relate to his ethnic heritage. I was born to Puerto Rican parents and struggled with living in twin cultures that were never completely my own, yet, wholly part of me. Many know Basquiat as the edgy graffiti artist who emerged from NYC’s punk scene in the 1980s. What I saw was a shy artist who only felt comfortable in his skin when he was making his work. Basquiat’s introduction to his art came from his mother Matilde, who would take him to all of the NYC art museums. As a young teenager, his family relocated to Puerto Rico for several years, and upon his return to Brooklyn, his appetite for art and music expanded as his personal identity solidified. In addition to painting, he formed experimentalindustrial band Gray, which counted fellow multidisciplinarian Vincent Gallo as a member. His work into the art and music scene in the late 1970s and 1980s in New York flourished when he befriended Andy Warhol. He became was a regular guest on Glenn O’Brien’s TV Party, DJed at the hottest nightclubs and even dated Madonna. During his life Basquiat never saw much success. Despite being broke most of the time he was known for his generosity and would lend friends money knowing he would never see it again. Now his work fetches millions and his mystique lives on, certainly in my mind.
Video after the jump.
